The National Academy of Medicine in Mexico has appointed Prof. Dr. Christiane Woopen, Director of the Center for Life Ethics at the University of Bonn, as an honorary member for her contribution to the advancement of ethics and bioethics in research, teaching and international policy advice.

Woopen holds a Heinrich Hertz Professorship of Excellence and is a member of the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Individuals, Institutions and Societies" at the University of Bonn. She was a member of the National Ethics Council from 2001 to 2008 and subsequently of the German Ethics Council until 2016. She chaired the latter for four years. She also served as Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies from 2017 to 2021 and as President of the Global Summit of National Ethics/Bioethics Committees from 2014 to 2016.

In 2014, the Global Summit was held in Mexico under the presidency of Dr. Manuel H. Ruiz de Chávez. "The Global Summit was prepared for two years by an International Steering Committee. It was coordinated by WHO in cooperation with UNESCO," says Christiane Woopen. As chair of the German Ethics Council, she was sent to represent the WHO's European region. In Mexico, Germany was chosen as the next venue, so that in 2016 the Global Summit was held in Berlin. Dr. Manuel H. Ruiz de Chávez was involved in the preparations and has now proposed Christiane Woopen as an honorary member.

The collaborations with Mexico focused on Global Health, Global Ethics and Global Justice. Woopen is excited about the award: "Dialogue between a variety of people with different perspectives on the values that should guide us when shaping our futures is key for a good life for all. That's why international cooperation is very dear to me. This is also reflected in our work at the Center for Life Ethics." Prof. Woopen is now planning a joint conference with the National Academy and the National Institutes of Health in Mexico.